The present invention relates to an entertainment system and a server machine for distributing various content data for a video game, movie, news and music; a method for distributing such content data; a computer program for distributing content data; and a storage medium having recorded therein a computer program of a method for distributing content data.
Besides the conventional way of distributing music data, game programs or other content data stored on a storage medium such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and semiconductor memory, it is becoming popular to download content data from a network using a personal computer of the user.
More specifically, for a case of downloading desired content data, the user makes an access from the user's own personal computer using a web browser stored therein to a predetermined server computer or “server machine”, and sends a request for distributing the desired content data. The server machine then distributes the content data requested by the user via a network to the personal computer of such user. On the side of the personal computer, the content data distributed from the server machine is stored in a storage medium such as hard disk (HD). The user can thus obtain the desired content data without using a storage medium such as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.
It is, however, often seen on the day of launching distribution of content data for a very popular game or for music content data of a popular musician that a huge number of distribution requests are received at a server machine from the users wanting to obtain the content data. Since the transmission band available for the content data distribution is limited, the conventional content data distribution system has suffered from saturation of the network transmission band (network congestion) when the distribution requests are concentrated. This interferes with smooth content data distribution in the content distribution system.